Saturday, March 5, 2011

When I was a kid, we watched a lot of "Get Smart". The main character, Maxwell Smart, had a lot of memorable quotes. He always got a laugh when he would say, "Missed it by that much." His delivery was spot on.

As a mother of a child with food allergies, I think it is important to have a good sense of humor. And as frustrating as our situation can be, it always helps when I can find a way to laugh. When possible.

As some of you know, I work as a Set Decorator in the film industry. Two of my shows are on Fox, both staring Gordon Ramsay; Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef. MasterChef is currently in production and they sent an e-mail out to the staff and crew asking us if any of our kids would be interested in participating in one of the upcoming competitions. My first reaction was to be VERY excited. Ella, my five year old daughter, is very interested in what I do for a living. She jumps at any opportunity to come to my work. Over the course of a show, there are many stages of development for her to observe. The planning, design and model building. The preliminary materials search. The building of the set. The months of shopping and finally, the set decoration. I try to bring her along so that she can witness and participate in each step. After I finished decorating MC Season 2, I brought her to the set and the first thing she said to me was, "I want to be on this show!" And I told her that the show was like a big game with grown ups who are competing against each other to see who is the best chef. I couldn't foresee a chance for her to appear on camera... until I got an e-mail yesterday.

And then I remembered the food allergies. I knew that if they were doing a food competition with children, things like peanut butter and pasta were VERY likely to be involved. There was no way that she could participate. And I heard Maxwell Smart say his famous phrase, "Missed it by that much!" And I couldn't help but smile.

The good news is that Ella will never know that she missed an opportunity to be on TV. She is already quite bitter about the whole allergy thing and there is no need to add fuel to that fire. But it was a striking reminder of the lack of freedom we have in our lives, at times. But honestly, I am just happy that I have such a fabulous kid who is creative and wonderful in every way.

But I am going to suggest they do a competition for people who have food allergies. Top Chef did it and it was a great episode!

You are such a great writer, Heidi! Although Angelina misses out on things like birthday party treats, school festivities, cooking projects (not so much TV appearances ;)), etc, we can relate to dealing with how much more aware she is of it all. Thanks for sharing!

Loved watching Get smart. It was one of my favorite shows when I was younger. It's hard to be left out because of food. Having a future show about safe or allergen free foods. That's a great idea. It would be a great teaching moment.

Food Allergies?

This is a blog for people who are limited in what they can eat. The focus of this blog is primarily wheat/gluten and nut free. Many of the recipes include dairy ingredients which can easily be substituted with a soy or non-dairy alternative. No recipes include shellfish or sesame. Another focus is healthy living through the use of organic foods and enriching activities like exercise and hobbies. I try to keep current on articles that are published about food allergies and their possible causes. If you know anyone with food allergies or happen to have them yourself, this blog is for you!

About Me

I hold a BS in Home Economics and Interior Design from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I have been a Set Decorator and Interior Designer for over 15 years, having worked on many films and television shows. Most recently, I won a Primetime Emmy for Best Art Direction for a Multi-camera Series for my work on Fox's MasterChef.
We have two young children... Milo, 6, and Ella, 8. My Husband is a comedy writer, whose Tweets are MUCH more entertaining than mine could ever be!
When I was 34 I found out that I am allergic to shellfish, after having eaten it my entire life.
My daughter has severe food allergies, including peanuts, sesame, and all nuts. She is especially allergic to pistachios. She had previously been allergic to wheat, eggs and soy... thankfully, she has seemingly outgrown those allergies.
Cooking for a child is usually a challenge, but finding things for an allergic kid to eat is next to impossible.
I started this blog because I have been learning so much and am eager to share information. Because I love to cook, recipes are a huge part of what I am posting.
It IS possible to live well with food allergies. Thanks for reading...